Tag: Joe Douglas

One reason why the Jets aren’t in a rush to extend Haason Reddick? The offseason Will McDonald has had

Will McDonald has impressed the Jets this offseason.

Will McDonald has certainly flashed enough in training camp and preseason, enough to lead to some praise from New York Jets general manager Joe Douglas. It might be enough to make the Jets a little more patient with the Haason Reddick holdout situation.

McDonald, a first round pick in the 2023 NFL draft, is coming off a rookie season where he played in 15 games. All told, he registered 14 total tackles and three sacks as well as a forced fumble.

As for Reddick, he was acquired by the Jets in a trade this offseason with the Philadelphia Eagles.

Reddick is an elite edge rusher, with double-digit sacks in each of his last four seasons. Last year for the Eagles, he had 11 sacks and 38 total tackles in 17 games.

In speaking with the media on Thursday, Douglas praised McDonald for his strong offseason.

“I think Will’s had a superb camp, and I think Will’s come in on a mission,” Douglas told reporters on Thursday.

“His skills are undeniable, and I feel like he can really bring some elite athleticism off the edge, his change of direction, and his speed off the ball, his counter, and he’s one of those guys that constantly working to improve every day, so you’d love to see Will take that step that Jermaine (Johnson) took last year. Each person is different in their development, but I think we’ve seen a lot of positive practices, and positive ascension from Will.”

As for Reddick, there is no movement on his contract situation.

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That could mean no Reddick for the Jets season opener in a little over a week.

“Well, I think we’ve done that for most of training camp and we’ve prepared,” Douglas said about preparing for Reddick to not report to the Jets in time for Week 1.

“We’ve gone through training camp without him. Obviously, we still want him here. Excited to have him. Again, can’t wait until he comes in and everyone here is going to welcome him with open arms.”

Joe Douglas remains uncertain of when Haason Reddick will arrive at the Jets

New York Jets general manager Joe Douglas talks about Haason Reddick’s holdout.

There hasn’t been a change in the status of Haason Reddick according to New York Jets general manager Joe Douglas. Reddick’s training camp holdout was the only dark spot in what has been an otherwise sunny offseason for the Jets.

Reddick is in the final year of his contract with the Jets. He was acquired in a trade this offseason with the Philadelphia Eagles.

In each of his last four seasons, Reddick has double-digit sacks. Last year for the Eagles, he had 11 sacks and 38 total tackles in 17 games.

Douglas spoke on Thursday during a media availability.

“Nothing’s changed from our end. Obviously a ton of respect for Haason and awaiting his arrival,” Douglas told reporters.

“Looking forward to when he does. He will be welcomed with open arms.”

Douglas wouldn’t say that there is any “frustration” over the situation. He spoke of a respect for Reddick as a person and a player and that “we think he can help us win games.”

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“Felt really good about the conversations leading up to and at the moment of the trade,” Douglas said.

“So, again, we’re going to be excited to have him when he decides to arrive.”

With the season set to open on Sept. 9 at the San Francisco 49ers, Douglas was unsure of if and when Reddick would report to the Jets.

“I can’t lay out any expectations right now,” Douglas said.

“But when he does arrive – we’re all going to be excited.”

Andrew Peasley and Adrian Martinez won’t make the 53-man roster

Here’s why New York Jets GM Joe Douglas couldn’t commit to Andrew Peasley and Adrian Martinez.

Through three weeks of NFL preseason, quarterbacks Andrew Peasley and Adrian Martinez gave it everything they had. Still, New York Jets’ general manager Joe Douglas could not commit to their talents as essential to the 2024 mission.

Fate only came to fruition for Martinez and Peasley yesterday. Veteran quarterback Tyrod Taylor was always destined to secure the No. 2 slot on the quarterback depth chart and rookie Jordan Travis was only non-participatory because of injury.

 
 
 
 
 
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The Jets simply could not afford to fumble off such tremendous talent on the defensive side of the football so Peasley & Martinez caught the bad end of the sleight.

Peasley & Martinez finished the 2024 preseason with 1 touchdown pass on 80 combined pass attempts.

ESPN positional rankings underscore that the time is now for the New York Jets

ESPN reporter Jeremy Fowler believes that the New York Jets are currently in their window of opportunity.

Pragmatically and at times painfully, the New York Jets have pieced together a roster that is among the best in the NFL. And one ESPN reporter believes that the roster is good enough to be contenders this year.

And for the Jets, the argument can be made that this is the most talented roster that they’ve assembled in franchise history.

Consider a recent tweet from ESPN NFL reporter Jeremy Fowler about the Jets.

Not one given to knee-jerk reactions or hot takes, Fowler has been releasing a ranking survey over the last few days of the top players in the NFL. Fowler has culled this information from conversations with league executives and scouts.

And while Jets fans might quibble with the placement of certain players on the list (*cough* Sauce Gardner is the third-ranked cornerback in the ESPN survey *cough*), the big picture still remains promising for the franchise as a whole.

And Fowler underscored that with this tweet about the talent level on the Jets roster. It is certainly a fair assessment of where things stand on the Jets roster:

 

Yes, there are question marks about the health of quarterback Aaron Rodgers (eighth in the NFL according to ESPN) and the revamped offensive line still has to prove itself. But every NFL team has at least one major question on their roster and this shouldn’t be held against the Jets when projecting their season.

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Now, the Jets still need to go out there and prove it, but general manager Joe Douglas has certainly done a masterful job of building this team both through free agency and the NFL draft.

And that puts the Jets in a prime spot to make the playoffs for the first time since the 2010 season.

Jets targeted Malachi Corley as high as No. 40 in draft, per report

Jets targeted Malachi Corley as high as No. 40 in draft, per report

The Jets jumped on the opportunity to trade up to the No. 65 pick in the 2024 draft to select Western Kentucky wide receiver Malachi Corley. The Jets only had to send a fifth-round pick to the Carolina Panthers to make the deal happen. However, according to a recent report from ESPN, the Jets were seemingly willing to go much higher.

Jeremy Fowler of ESPN recently shared draft nuggets on all 32 teams and his notes on the Jets included a note on their interest in Corley. Fowler reports the Jets were monitoring Corley as high as No. 40 in a potential trade. The Washington Commanders originally held that pick but ultimately traded it to the Philadelphia Eagles, who would select Iowa DB Cooper DeJean.

New York originally held the No. 72 pick in the third round. Using the Jimmy Johnson trade value chart, the No. 40 pick is worth 500 points and the 72nd pick is worth 230. The Jets likely would have had to part with a third, maybe even a second, in next year’s draft to make the deal happen. Jets general manager Joe Douglas showed patience, nervously waiting at Corley survived through the second round.

Once Carolina got on the clock to begin Round 3, Douglas made his move. In the end, New York only sent a Day 3 pick to land Corley and added a third-round pick in next year’s draft in the midst of their three moves in the fourth round.

Jets to pick up Alijah Vera-Tucker’s fifth-year option

The Jets are exercising Alijah Vera-Tucker’s fifth-year option for 2025.

Jets general manager Joe Douglas just wrapped up the 2024 draft and is in the middle of recapping and signing undrafted free agents. In the process, he shared some news on a player from the 2021 draft.

Douglas told the media after the draft the team is picking up the fifth-year option on guard Alijah Vera-Tucker, the 14th pick of the 2021 NFL Draft. According to Over the Cap, the option is projected to be worth a guaranteed $15,313,000. He only qualifies for the basic option as his playtime was less than 75% on average over his first three seasons, he did not play 75% of the snaps in two of the three seasons and his snap count was less than 50% over all three seasons. He also did not make any Pro Bowls.

Vera-Tucker has missed majority of the last two seasons due to tricep and Achilles injuries. However, when healthy, he is still one of the top linemen for the Jets and will be back at right guard this season. The Jets plan to keep him there and not bounce him around as they have throughout his career.

The $15,313,000 Vera-Tucker will make on the option currently sits as the third-highest base salary among guards for the 2025 season. Only Panthers guard Robert Hunt ($15,850,000) and Chiefs guard Joe Thuney ($15,500,000) are currently scheduled to make more.

Watch: Jets make call as they draft WR Malachi Corley

See the Jets making the call of a lifetime to Malachi Corley

Owner Woody Johnson and company were sweating, but in the end, the wait was worth it. The Jets got their guy in Western Kentucky wide receiver Malachi Corley.

The Jets reportedly were trying to move into the second round but couldn’t find a team to bite. When Corley slipped into third round, the Jets knew their time to strike had arrived. They made the call to the Carolina Panthers, offered a 5th-round pick and were to move from No. 72 to No. 65 to grab their guy.

It was Malachi Corley, no matter what, as head coach Robert Saleh and general manager Joe Douglas texted each other.

Now, you can check out the team making the call to Corley to let him know he is officially a member of the New York Jets.

Robert Saleh, Joe Douglas with ‘Draft Day’ scenario drafting Malachi Corley

Malachi Corley, no matter what.

The 2014 movie “Draft Day” followed the story of Cleveland Browns general manager Sonny Weaver Jr looking to turn his team around. When the draft happens, the Browns move all over the board but ultimately stick to their plan of “Vontae Mack, no matter what.”

The Jets may have just had their own Draft Day scenario play out. The team shared what they claim is a real text message exchange between head coach Robert Saleh and general manager Joe Douglas. The jist of the chat is that it was Malachi Corley, no matter what.

Sure enough, the Jets got their man, the wide receiver from Western Kentucky, with the 65th pick of the 2024 NFL Draft, moving up from No. 72 in a trade with the Carolina Panthers. New York sent a fifth-round pick to the Panthers to get the deal done.

The Jets tried to trade into the second round but ultimately couldn’t find a team willing to trade down that far. Fortunately for them, Corley fell into the third round and Douglas struck. The Jets now have the YAC King. They’ll likely also be going to Corley’s birthday party in the coming years.

Jets remain open to trading Zach Wilson, who is skipping voluntary workouts

Jets remain open to trading Zach Wilson, who is skipping voluntary workouts

Zach Wilson is still a quarterback for the New York Jets…for now. It still remains a question of “when” not “if” the Jets will trade the former No. 2 overall pick.

Jets general manager Joe Douglas met with the media for his pre-draft press conference Friday and was asked about the status of Wilson. Douglas called Wilson an “asset” but that the team remains open to trading Wilson and that “there have been discussions.”

Wilson is currently skipping the voluntary workouts as he and the Jets remain in limbo over the trade discussions.

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There are a couple factors that are making trading Wilson a little more difficult for the Jets. First, many quarterback situations and even backup situations have been settled across the league. The Pittsburgh Steelers added both Russell Wilson and Justin Fields, the Arizona Cardinals acquired Desmond Ridder to back up Kyler Murray and Buffalo brought back Mitch Trubisky as Josh Allen’s understudy, just to name a few.

Another obstacle is Wilson $5.45 million in fully guaranteed compensation, including a $4.3 million roster bonus due at the start of training camp. The Jets will either have to eat some of that money or attach a draft pick in order to facilitate a trade. If the Jets simply cut Wilson, they see no cap relief at all. But that may be an option the Jets ultimately have to take.

Whether it’s before, during or after the draft next week, one thing seems pretty certain: Wilson isn’t going to be a Jet much longer. The Jets have Aaron Rodgers and Tyrod Taylor on the roster and Douglas talked about wanting to have a “quarterback factory” like the Green Bay Packers of the 1990’s. That could lead to believe the Jets will take a quarterback later in the draft (Jordan Travis? Michael Pratt? Devin Leary?).

It’s just a matter of time at this point. Wilson is no longer part of that factory.

Adam Schefter says free agency has helped take pressure off Jets in draft

“They’ve taken the pressure off them with what they’ve done during free agency.” – Adam Schefter

The Jets, unsurprisingly, have been aggressive in free agency and have tried to patch as many holes as possible for this win-now mode in 2024. The Jets filled all three open spots on the offensive line by signing former Cowboys left tackle Tyron Smith and former Ravens guard John Simpson as well as trading for Ravens right tackle Morgan Moses.

The Jets also essentially swapped Bryce Huff for Haason Reddick after losing the former to the Philadelphia Eagles in free agency before trading for the latter just last week. Not to mention, the Jets found a new No. 2 wide receiver in former Charger Mike Williams. The Jets are once again all in for this season, knowing major changes are coming if things don’t work out.

Because of all these moves, ESPN’s Adam Schefter believes the pressure is off the Jets and general manager Joe Douglas when it comes to the draft. Schefter spoke with Jets team reporter Ethan Greenberg about his thoughts on the Jets’ free agency and why the Jets now have options when the first round of the draft rolls around on April 25.

“That’s the great part about it,” ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter said at the NFL League Meetings last week in Orlando, via the Jets’ official website. “They addressed so many needs that they don’t have to come away with anything. I don’t mind the idea if there’s a guy like [Michigan QB] J.J. McCarthy still sitting there, if Minnesota or Denver or Las Vegas wants to come up to the Jets spot and the Jets get extra picks, there’s nothing wrong with that. They have options. … They’ve taken the pressure off them with what they’ve done during free agency.”

Before free agency, almost every mock draft had the Jets taking an offensive tackle because it felt like it was a lock the Jets had to address the position in the draft. Then they landed Smith and Moses, so now a tackle doesn’t have to be forced. The Jets absolutely could still take a tackle with the 10th pick, but now the door is open for a wide receiver such as Washington’s Rome Odunze or a tight end like Georgia’s Brock Bowers.

Even a trade, one way or the other, is now not out of the realm of possibility. The Jets do have some flexibility now following their free agency spree and rebuilding the offensive line. Remember, the Jets currently do not have a pick in the second round thanks to the Aaron Rodgers trade. Perhaps they look to trade down to get a pick back in that spot. On the other hand, if the board falls a certain way, an aggressive trade up (Marvin Harrison Jr?) also has to be considered. All options are on the table.

There’s always pressure on a team, especially one in the position the Jets are in. But they’ve made themselves an interesting team to watch later this month in Detroit.